Rail joint



J. W. HELDRETH.

' RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 27, I92].

1,435,522 Patented Nov. 14,1922.

constituting the present invention.

urel. v p i. I ,Figure 3 18 a section on line 3+3, Fig

urel.

Patented Nov. 14,-

useful Rail Joint,.;of:whicl1 the following is;

. shown can be made without departing from osnrH nntnniii nfyor wyrnnvitnnfiviaeinin;

To allwhom'itmayaconcern: :1: v 5 1- Be it known that I, JOSEPH WV. Hemm r;

a citizen of the'Unite'd States, residing at;

in the county of: Nythe and State of Virginia, have invented anew and a specification. I

This invention relates tojrailYjoints, one

I of' its objects being toprovide-a coupling 10 which will hold the rails properly assembled without requiring the use of bolts extending through the rails as heretofore and which will properly supportthe rails at theirineeting ends so that they will not sag and cause the car wheels to pound while passing thereover.

the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanyingv d'awingsg the preferred forms of the inventionhave been shown. 1

In said ,drawings 1 f a Figure 1 is a side elevation of a rail joint Figure Qisa section "on line 22, Fig- Figure 4; is a viewsimilar-to Figure 3 but showing a modifiedstructure.

Referring to the figures by;

characters of reference 1 designates one member of; the" joint, the same being formed with a base 2 having openings 3"for.receiving spikes or of the inner or upstandingv side of this memother fastening devices} The lower. portion her is so shaped as to follow the configuration of one side of the base of a rail, this curved overhanging portion being indicated at 4 in Figure 3. The upper portion "of the inner side of the member 1 is so shaped as shown at 5, as to fit snugly against one side andthe'bottom of the heaclofa rail and arranged between the portions 4 and 5 rails. ;This-extension{does.notylie fliush with the.sideslof the ,memberil but terminates inavardly therefrom so as'ito; provide;recesses 7 at the ends ofthejeXtens'i0n.. fAr dovetail, i

underthe head ofa rail and'toengagesaijdfi 75; the inner surface of thegoverhangingex each other "and shifted vlongitudinally ;rela .tiveto e h (when k} I cated-atR and the webs ,R are cut away 'sembledfend to 'end there Will -be sufficient space between thewebs: to" allow thepexten-y p z ."f astened -;in position and the rails are the member? is jbroughtgtoproper position it is also fastened and the rails willthusbe'ise equal" to ither v thickness 1 of the wvebsf' of the rib 8 is formed longitudinallyalongthe side of the extension,

it t oft is overhangin o' inner tion m m r :9 is; ,adapt dfto extendv head. A dove-tail groove 12 'is' provided on tension andfis so proportionedi'as to receive! the dove-tail rib 8 whenv the two members i' v 1 and 9 are placed in proper relation-to"- .Thje rails tobe coupled: have beenlf indi theirends so -that whenthe'rails jare' as sion 6 tovresttherein. v v I In usingif the couplingthe member; leis placed laterally 'against saidimember so fthat their basepflangeswillfllieiinder theQover-jf hanging'portion tfland the extension 6*will" be PP Ed tw eil'i' the webs. Th th rv f: m mber 9 then shifted longitudinally i t engagement with the ribf8 andfl when they I .Curely. held. If preferredtheiitwo fmei hers ofthe coupling can first be assenibled v p andfastened and'therails insertedflongitu-" loo dina'lly'betweenthem'but this is not-always. possible or'clesirable and for this reasqnfthe coupling has beenformedoftwo pa t glt]; 'is'to beunderstood that instead of making the coupling intwo interfitti arpas heretofore describedI-itfcan beim'ade: in one p piece asshownin'Figure' f} Inthis casethe extension- 113f is made' integral with both; members of the coupling and the-rails,cori w sequently, ,canfonly be assembled Withthe. 110 coupling by inserting "them longitudinally I ,1 into opposite sides ofthe] coupling..'v

a p a gu a eaten;- i 4 6. the thickness,.=of.which. is. substantiall I J55 The otherfniembery9-iof thevjoint' hasan "I extension .10fup'1onthe base thereof similar to the extension and the inner portion U of; this memb'er'hasits'lower surface shaped to conform with the contour of the inner 10. fiang'eiof'the base of }a"rail,-'as shown at 11.,

What is claimed is In a rail Joint a membe' having a 1011- gitudinal dove-tail groove in one face and,

open at both ends, a second member, a longitudinal extension thereon terminating inwardly from the ends ofsaid second member for abutment against the grooved memher, a dove-tail rib on the extension and extended throughout the length thereoi', said rib being shift-ablelongitudinally' into the groove to hold the members assembled in Contact, and rails having slots inthe end portions thereof said rails being slidable longitudinally towardeach other-to receive the extension Within the slots in the rails said members being underout to receive the base flanges of the rails, there being epertures extending through the members for the reception of tie engaging fastening 

